That night was spent curled beneath the stars, hidden away in the gnarled roots of a tree that looked like it rivaled Hyrule Caste for age. If only it could match its security. Or…well, perhaps not. Under normal circumstances, this would be a wonderous thing, sleeping under the open sky like this. They’d fallen asleep on the turret before, sure, but out here in nature was something else. However, instead of drifting off to the soft sounds of the world at night, it was Zelda’s sobs that found Liesl’s ear and her tears that wet her shirt. At least they hadn’t run into any more monsters or scenes of carnage along the way. Not that their dreams were safe.  

With a lack of sleep and an overwhelming sense of dread, traveling quickly became a grueling endeavor. A prospect not made any better by the lack of conversation between them or food in their packs. They found some wild fruits, nuts, and other edible plants due to Liesl’s training and Zelda’s studying, but neither would accuse any of them of being particularly tasty. Some were better than others, but the silence between them was constantly filled with the growling of stomachs.

It was almost deceptive this far away from the castle. Smoke still rose behind them, but looking forward, it appeared to be any other day along the river. The sun was out, shimmering over the flowing water, and plants blew gently in the morning breeze. The only thing that was missing was the chirping of birds in the sky and the smile on Liesl’s face.

Walking like this only added to Liesl’s overall frustration. How many times had she wanted to take Zelda out of the castle for the day? To ride horses or have a picnic or any other number of activities two young people in love wished to indulge in. But now those desires felt like stones in her gut. How could she let herself desire such things at this moment? When the world felt like it was ending. Nevertheless, her heart hurt for a time when they could’ve shared something more innocent.

Eventually, the two did stumble upon a few of the outlying farms on the northern side of the river. Not as big or as well managed as the ones right outside the city, but it was the first sign of civilization that hadn’t been ransacked in some way. Which is why Liesl allowed them to stop along the edge of one field, peering in past the rows of growing crops to look at the farmhouse that stood in the middle.

“What do you think?” Zelda asked without looking over at her friend, eyes alight with curiosity for the first time in days.

“It looks safe,” Liesl admitted, even though she knew what would follow from that admission.

“Good enough for me.” Zelda exhaled with the comment and stood tall a moment later, brushing off her knees from where the fabric had collected dirt. “Come on, we have to warn them.”

“Zelda, we need to keep going,” Liesl protested.

“No, they should know what might be headed to their doorstep.”

“Others will follow with word; more people will flee. And we need to be ahead of them when they do.”

Zelda considered the argument for a moment but appeared to double down instead, pointing her finger in the direction of the house. “What if they have food we can buy? You’ve complained enough about not having any.”

Now that was a good point and gave Liesl pause. They did need supplies, and it wasn’t like they had to spend a long time talking with whoever lived here. They could simply trade for what they needed, pass along a word of warning, and be on their way. Some money might even help if the family needed extra funds to flee.

However, before she could reply, the sound of laughter and a door slamming open caused both women to look in the direction of the farmhouse. Two children appeared a moment later, one chasing the other before the lead noticed them. A little boy, if Liesl had to guess. He subsequently pointed in their direction before a frantic-looking woman ran out the door after them. She subsequently shuffled them inside before calling out another name and pointing back in their direction, too. Was she calling someone else? Were they spooked? Most likely, but with two children? They had to warn these people.

“Okay, let’s go tell them,” Liesl said with a nod before stepping off down the small dirt driveway.

“Should we let them know who we are?” Zelda asked from beside her.

“No,” Liesl said with a shake of her head for emphasis. “We can’t. They might tell others that they saw us come this way.”

Thankfully, Zelda nodded in agreement a moment later, and Liesl felt relief bloom in her chest. Okay, so the princess would listen to her advice ever once in a while. “That’s very wise. Besides, they don’t need to know who we are to heed our warning. From the way they’re acting, they already know there is danger.” A night sky filled with fire and a giant column of smoke probably made that very clear.

The assumption seemed to be confirmed a moment later when a man emerged from the house with what looked like some kind of farming tool that Liesl didn’t recognize. It was bulky but had a nasty-looking blade toward the end. Certainly, something that would hurt if it was swung hard enough.

“That’s close enough,” the man said. He kept the heavy tool by his side as he addressed them, only letting it be seen. Well, to be fair, what was threatening about two young women? Especially when their weapons were hidden beneath their cloaks.

“Hello,” Zelda said in a voice that sounded soft and friendly (if not a little weary). “We mean you no harm, we’re just passing by and wanted to warn you and see if we could buy some food for our journey.”

“Warn us? That doesn’t exactly sound friendly.”

“We’re coming from the castle,” Zelda pressed, despite the absence of a smooth start. “There has been an attack, and we wanted to warn you and your family that it may not be safe to stay here on your farm.”

“An attack on the castle?” This time, it was a feminine voice that asked the question, and Liesl’s eyes shifted to the woman who reappeared from the door. “What happened?”

“Whatever happened is none of our concern,” the man interjected before Zelda had a chance to answer.

What? How could he be so stupid? Of course, it concerned them! It concerned everyone! Zelda must’ve been silently asking the same question because she fell quiet for a few moments thereafter while a look of surprise flashed across her face. 

“Sir, there is no guarantee that whatever is happening will stay in the castle. You must take your family and go somewhere safer. Somewhere farther away.”

“There’s no guarantee whoever attacked the castle will come looking for us, either,” Amel continued as she came to stand shoulder to shoulder with whom Liesl assumed was her husband. “There’s no reason to bother us. We don’t have anything worth taking.”

“They don’t care about that,” Liesl finally cut in after not being able to hold her tongue any longer. “All they care about is destruction for the sake of destruction.” There was proof enough of that in the wanton slaughter of soldier and servant alike. Not to mention the incident at the temple.

“Destruction of the city, maybe.”

“Please,” Zelda practically begged. “You must think of your children.”

“Do not bring our children into this,” Amel snapped.

The man must’ve been equally defensive but chose to express his displeasure by bringing his makeshift weapon up into both hands. At which point Liesl’s hand brushed her cloak to the side as she went for the hilt of the Master Sword. 

Of course, his eyes tracked her movement, and they widened at the sight of the weapon in its ornate scabbard. However, they narrowed again once they lifted to Liesl’s face and then Zelda’s while he spent the next few moments wordlessly appraising both with renewed intensity. Did he suspect who they were now? 

“If you don’t have any other business, I think you should go,” he finally said.

The moment of tension stretched out before them before Zelda brought up her hand and gently moved Liesl’s from the Master Sword. Her other came up in a placating gesture, trying to get the strangers to calm down as well. “At least let us buy some supplies,” she said in a calmer voice than Liesl felt. “Whatever you don’t need. If you sell to the capital regularly, your shipments may get interrupted at the very least.”

The man and woman glanced at each other, and whatever decision they came to was reached in an unspoken language that only came from years of being together. “Fine, but we expect a fair price.” Finally, as he spoke, he let his weapon drop away before gesturing for Amel to head back into the house.

“I assure you, we will pay it.”

Of course, a “fair price” was nowhere near what they got. Even if Liesl didn’t regularly purchase these kinds of things, she had a sneaking suspicion they had just been fleeced. Partly because of the interaction thus far, but no doubt because the farmer knew they were desperate. Thankfully, they had money to spare, and it wasn’t as if they could eat the coins anyway. In the end, they managed to purchase some bread, cheese, smoked meats, and dried fruit. It should be enough to last them a few days’ travel, more if they could supplement their supplies by foraging.

“There, you have what you came for,” Amel said before handing over the bag of food and looking past where Zelda and Liesl stood outside their home. “Now please, leave us alone. We don’t want any trouble.”

Liesl could feel the protest bubbling up inside her once more, even after getting what they came for. She wanted to yell, wanted to shout that trouble didn’t give a damn if they wanted to be found or not. It would all come the same. Some rustling from the window caught her attention then, and Liesl spotted the two children peering out from the inside. Ugh, it made her heart ache that they could be put in danger through no fault of their own.

But what else was there to say? Aside from begging, there was nothing that could be done and she doubted even that would work. So, Liesl turned with a sigh and made to exit back down the small path. Except Zelda didn’t follow. Nor did she speak, only looked from the window to both parents, while looking very much like she was trying to think of something else to say.

“Come on,” Liesl said softly before putting her hand to the princess’s shoulder and pulling gently. “We have a long road ahead of us.”

Ultimately, Zelda turned with a huff and stalked off down the road, not waiting for Liesl before doing so. But her bodyguard didn’t dally and only gave the couple one more look before turning to follow. It only took a few extra steps to catch up, and that veil of silence fell over both of them once more. At least until they turned away from the farm, and Zelda couldn’t hold it any longer.

“I can’t believe this!” She exclaimed before bringing a single hand up to rub at her temple. “Maybe I should’ve told them more about what we saw, about the people we lost. For Goddess’ sake, we don’t even know if my father is alive! Their king!”

“I don’t think that would’ve made a difference,” Liesl said with a shake of her head. “And if the children could hear you, it would only frighten them.” A part of her didn’t think that was such a bad idea, but who knew? Maybe no harm would come this way? No. No, Liesl didn’t believe that for one second. “But right now, we have to focus on finding help so we can help everyone. Whether or not they think they need it.”

At this, Zelda snorted derisively before shaking her head and closing her eyes as she continued to walk. “How are we supposed to convince people to help us when we can’t even convince people a few miles from the castle that they are in danger?”

It was fortunate that the question sounded rhetorical, as Liesl had no answer. She only let it drag her mood further toward despair as they trudged on down the main path. If only Rowan were here right now, he’d know what to do…